Container



July' 15', 1930. A. J. CHAMBERLAIN I 1,770,892

CONTAINER Filed Sept:y 15. 1926 A TTORNEYJ Patented July 15, 1930 UNITED STATES ALFRED J. CHAMBERLAIN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN CONTAINER Application iledl September 13, 1926. Serial No. 134,998.

This invention relates to improvements in containers and, more particularly, to metal containers such as are now commonly used for packaging, shipping and storing materials such as paints and other liquid, semiliqiud and plastic substances.

The present invention contemplates more especially improved means for securing, fastening, or sealing the cover to the'body portion of the container. Among the objects of the invention are to provide an improved form of' container which shall possess advantages over those now in use, one which lends itself readily to economical manufac ture, one which may be easily, quickly. and eifectively sealed in the first instance and`the cover easily and quickly removed and resealed during use of the container. A Vfurther object is to provide improved means for sealing or closing the container, -such means acting to preserve and maintain the sea-l, notwithstanding the' impacts, jarring and knocking about vencountered by these containers during shipment thereof and in subsequentl use.

. Other objects and advantages will` be apparent from the following description, taken in connection Awith the accompanying drawings, wherein one form of invention is illus- 'trated.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through a container constructed in accordance with the present invention and the sealing operation.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the container, showing the fastening lugsin locking position.

Figure 3 is atop plan view.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional vile 'i taken through the upper rim portion of thev container before'the fastening lugs are. bent into locking position, and I :Figure isaview similar to Figure 4, showing the lugs in locking position.

Referringv more in detail to the drawings, the containeris shown as comprising a cylindrical body portion 10closed at its lower end by a, bottom section llsecured in posilmeral 16 and is provided with a cupped censhowingthe cover in position just prior to' tion in any suitable manner. Near its top edge, the body portion 10 tapers. slightly inwardly as at 12 and then extends upwardly as at 13, forming a straight cylindrical neck portion. The upper edge of the body portion is flanged downwardly and outwardly to provide a gasket seat 14, the extreme edge of which is beaded as at 15 for reenforcing purposes. The cover bears reference nuter portion 17 of a diameter to` snugly lit down within the neck portion 13 of the body. The cover is provided withr an inverted trough-like outer rim portion '18" which, while providing an enclosure or housing for the gasket seat flange of the body portion, is spaced from said gasket seat flange as well as the top edge of the body portion. lAt its edge this inverted trough-like rim of the cover terminates substantially flush with the bead 15 of the gasket seatiange and is provided with a plurality of depending lugs 19 which are upturned, hook-like, at their lower ends as shown at 20. The gasket seat fiange of the body portion is substantially fiat from the top edge of the container to the bead while a similar flat portion is provided in the adjacent surface of the inverted trough-like rim ofthe cover. A gasket 21y is positioned between these-two surfaces and due to the formation of the metal, as previously described, assumes an inclined position as shown. This gasket, prior to the sealing of` the container, does not'usually overlie the top edge thereof, but assumes a position substantially as shown in Fig. 4f, in which space 22 intermediate said top edge and the adjacent surface of the rim of the cover is left free and unobstructed. Thus it will be apparent that a downward movement of the cover, at the time it is desired to seal the container may be effected during which the gasket is forcibly wedged down in between the seat i'ange and the adjacent surface of the cover rim and bulges slightly over the top edge of the container, as shown in Fig. 5, providing a very effective seal and one dificult of accidental displacement. 'A ma chine, or suitable tool, is generally employed for sealing the containers, the rst operation of which is to press the cover firmly down upon the upper edge of the container, after which suitable fingers or arms are operated to engage the lugs 19 and bend them up under the gasket flange into locking position substantially as shown in Figure 5. In this position, the hooked ends 20 of the lugs are left exposed around thefneck of the container slightly below the bead 15 where they may be readily engaged by any suitable implement such as a putty knife, or the like, and pried out of locking position at such time as it may be desired to remove the cover. The construction is such, however, as will be readily appreciated that the cover may be replaced at any time after its removal, pressed firmly down into sealing position, and the lugs again bent upwardly into their original locking positions. Thus, the container maybe usedover and over again without rendering its sealing or closing means inoperative or in any way ineffective.

Through the tapering of the body portion inwardly asat 12, as above described, the extreme outer diameter of the upper rim portion, after the cover has been locked in sealing position, is slightly less than the inner diameter of the downwardly extending flange 23 at the bottom 0f the container. This permits of the containers being readily stacked one on top of the other so that they, will not be liable to topple over. It will also be observed that when the cans are stacked in this manner the flange 23l will serve to protect or guard the rim of the nesting can. Moreover this advantage of protecting the cover and the fastening means between the cover and the container by utilizing practically the entire body of the container to take shocks and irnpacts is had without forming any abrupt shoulders or internal projections in the container which make it difficult to remove all or as to provide the protection mentioned and also .to permit the containers to be readily stacked.

Cans of the general type, herein described, have been in use for sometime. In these prior containers, however, the sealing gasket was placed directly upon the upper edge of the body portion of the container and the rim portion of the cover fitted directly or straight down upon the gasket. This construction is objectionable, as due to the position'of the gasket on the top edge of the container, comparatively slight impacts or blows on either side of the rim displace the gasket sufficiently to break the'seal which results in the contents of the can leaking out.` In. the present container, however, the formation and positioning of the gasket and gasket seat entirely against the seal being broken ordisplaced by laterally encountered impacts or blows of the character referred to. In fact, it has been found in actual` tests conducted with containers constructed in accordance with the present invention that the same will stand considerably more distortion at the sealing rim without the seal being broken than will any of the cans of the type heretofore in use. It appears that a lateral impact encountered by the sealing rim of the present container results generally in the gasket being clamped more firmly and securely in position due to the fact, no doubt, that 'such va blow is transmitted directly to the gasket and along lines which tend to bring about this result rather than to displace or loosen the gasket. In this connection it is to be noted that the lugs 19 are not only bent around the lower margin of the flange 14 but are extended up into the space between the flange 14 and the upper end of the container and at a point well upl in this space these lugs are reversely bent as at 19a. By locating these reverse bends well up iri the space between the flange 14 and the container and at points above the point of engagement of the lower margin of the flange with the lugs it becomes impossible for -distortion of the flange 14 to displace the lugs. 'In other words, it a portion of the flange 14 is bent inwardly it will not cam or work the lugs 19 out of the space between the flange 14 and the container but will merely increase the amount of the reverse bends to more firmly lock the cover on the container and more firmly compress the gasket.

While only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will nevertheless be appreciated that the invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof and, accordingly, it is not desired to limit or restrict the same except where limitations appear in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A metallic container comprising a body portion having an opening `and provided around said opening with an outwardly and downwardly extending flange affording a gasket seat, said flange being sufficiently bendable to preclude its fracture and to provide for its distortion under the action of heavy shocks and blows, a gasket on said seat, a metallic closure for the opening having a downwardly and outwardly extending flange engageable with the gasket, and means for securing the closure in position and for causing the flange thereof to compress the gasket inwardly and downwardly against its lseat whereby inward or downward distortion increases the effectiveness of the seal.

2. A metallic container comprising a body portion having an. opening and. provided around said opening with an outwardly and downwardly. v inclined flange, aording 'a flat gasket seatyand having its undersurface spaced from the vadjacent part of the con# "tailler, a gasket lon said seat, a closure for the l--opeiiinghavingadownwardly and outwardly inclined rim portion engageable with thegasket, and bendable lugs bent around and lo' engaging the lower margin of the flange and e '-.-`having portions engaged with the body portion of the container behind 4the flange and 'provided with reverse bends located within the contines of the flange, the reverse bends of said ,lugs being located at points entirely( above and in vertically spaced relation to-the point of engagement of the lugs with .the lower margin of the flange whereby the lugs back up the lla-nge and inward as well as downward distortion of the rim portion andv of the flange compresses the reverse bends and more firmly locks the cover in position.

. 3. A metallic container comprising a body portion having an opening and provided with an outwardly and downwardly inclined flange surrounding said opening and aford ing a gasket seat and having its undersurface spaced from the adjacent part of th-e container, a gasket on said seat, a closure for said container Ihavin an outwardly and downy wardly inclined rim engageable with said gaslugs act to back upthe gasket seat as well as tof ket, and bendable sealing lugs depending from said rim and 'bent up under said flange well above the lower edge of said gasket and interposed between the flange and the lopposedportion of the container whereby the secure the closure to the container andl to compressthe gasket between the flange and rim, f

4:. A metallic container comprising a body l portion having 'an opening and provided around said opening with an outwardly and downwardly extending lange affording a gasket seat exteriorly of saidj container and below the top edge thereof, said flange being suliiciently bendable to preclude its fracture and provide'for its distortion under the ac-` tion of heavy shocks and blows, a metallic cover having a cupped center position adapted to iiliwithin the opening of said body portion and having an inclined and depending outer rim portionpoverlying said seat and spaced therefrom `and from the top edge of p the container, a gasktpositioned on said'seat and ositivemeans for holding said cover in position with its depending rim portion holdand provide for its distortion under the actionofheavy shocks and blows, a cover having al cupped center portion adapted to fit within the open end of said body portionand having a depending outer rim portion overlying said seat and spaced therefrom, a gasket 4posi- -tioned in said space and spaced from the top edge of the body portion prior to the sealing operation and adapted to vbulge over said Vedge when the container is sealed, and positive means for holding said cover in sealing i position withits depending outer rim portion compressing said gasket against said gasket seat.

6. A metallic container comprising a body' portion having an opening and flanged outwardly and downwardly around its opening to provide van inclined gasket seat exteriorly of said container and below ,the top edge thereof, a cover having a cupped center portion adapted to fit within the-opening of said body portion and having an inclined and deending outer rim ortion overl in said seat andspaced therefrom and vfrom the top edge of the container, a gasket positioned on said seat, and a plurality of lugs dep-ending from said rim and adapted to be .bent upwardly under said seat flange to hold said cover in position -toscausesaid depending outer rim portion to compress said gasket against said seat.

'.7. A metallic container comprising a body portion having an opening and'provided with v a flange around its opening, a cover having a rim portion enclosin portion and spaced fiom /said flange and the top edge of the body'portion, -a gasket disposed between said flange and the adjacent nature.

j ALFRED J. .CHAMBERLAIN 1 ling said gasket against saidjnclined gasket seat.

l portion flanged outwardly and downwardly at its open'end toprovide a substantially flat kgasket seat exteriorly of said container and below the top edge thereof, said Han e-being sufciently bendable to preclude its racture 5. A metallic containei'omprising a body y 

